Malone (1987)

Directed by Harley Cokeliss. Starring Burt Reynolds, Cliff Robertson, Kenneth McMillan, and Cynthia Gibb. USA, Color, 92 minutes.

Shotgun blasts! Car stunts! Explosions! Cliff Robertson! BURT REYNOLDS!

This movie was great. Why hasn't it seen a good DVD release? Why, God, why? Why, Burt, why? Why can't we see Cynthia Gibb in high definition? . . . Somebody owes all of us an explanation.

An ex-CIA hit man (Burt Reynolds) tries to run from his blood-soaked past, but finds himself with a broken-down car in a small but corrupt town, where big-city businessmen are buying up all the property and businesses. Before he gets a chance to leave, he finds himself flirting with young Jo Barlow (Cynthia Gibb), witnessing obvious hit-and-runs, and being shot at with pistols. There's only one way he knows how to deal with this, and it doesn't involve writing a letter to his congressman.

Okay, I'll admit, this movie is completely brainless. It's just a rehash of many films (like Shane) that we've seen before. Burt Reynolds plays your average Rambo character - At one point, he is shot with a golf-ball sized bullet, but manages to recover in less than a day. Cynthia Gibb plays the (very attractive) love interest that falls for him but is much too young to get involved with. Cliff Robertson plays the evil insane type. Fans of his character in Spider-Man will find him hard to believe here.

So the gang's all there, and the movie just rolls on without pausing to let us think about what's going on. And that's a great thing. We watch movies to escape, right? Not letting us think is exactly what movies like this one should do.

Malone, however brainless, is a prime example of a film that hasn't been seen by enough people. The world would be a happier place if we all could experience this type of cinema. So do your part and check this flick out.